Click here to view the map of the project area.

This project improves the local transportation system to support the Clark County Comprehensive Growth Management Plan along the Northeast 179th Street corridor. When complete, it will improve travel times, encourage economic development, optimize intersection locations, upgrade stormwater management and bring the corridor up to current road standards.

Northeast Delfel Road intersects with Northeast 179th Street via an offset intersection, separating the north and south legs of Northeast Delfel Road by approximately 380 feet. The north leg of Northeast Delfel Road intersects with Northeast 179th Street at an unsignalized intersection approximately 150 feet west of the southbound offramp of I-5. The design of the roadway, transition to a multi-lane roundabout and improved drainage will be constructed in accordance with federal, state and local specifications, format and standards.

Project goals:

• Provide infrastructure improvements in support of the Clark County Comprehensive Growth Management Plan and changing needs of the community.
• Use sound engineering designs that improve the safety of the corridor and reduce congestion.
• Minimize adverse environmental impacts and mitigate for unavoidable impacts.
• Develop the project with input from local residents, businesses, community organizations, and property owners, and keep residents informed of relevant project activities.
• Minimize impacts to adjacent property owners while meeting safety and road standards and permitting requirements.
• Develop a roadway and drainage system that can be adequately maintained by Clark County.

Roundabouts keep traffic moving safely and steadily. Studies have shown that roundabouts are safer than stop sign or signal-controlled intersections. Roundabouts reduced injury crashes by 75 percent at intersections where stop signs or signals were previously used for traffic control, according to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Studies by the IIHS and Federal Highway Administration have shown that roundabouts typically achieve:

• A 37 percent reduction in overall collisions.
• A 75 percent reduction in injury collisions.
• A 90 percent reduction in fatality collisions.
• A 40 percent reduction in pedestrian collisions.

There are several reasons why roundabouts help reduce the likelihood and severity of collisions:

• Low travel speeds: Drivers must slow down and yield to traffic before entering a roundabout. Speeds in a roundabout are typically between 15 and 20 mph. The collisions that occur in roundabouts are typically minor and cause fewer injuries since they occur at lower speeds.
• No light to beat: Roundabouts are designed to promote a continuous, circular flow of traffic. Drivers only need to yield to traffic before entering a roundabout; if there is no traffic in the roundabout, drivers are not required to stop. Because traffic is constantly flowing through the intersection, drivers don't have the incentive to speed up to try and "beat the light," like they might at a signal-controlled intersection.
• One-way travel: Roads entering a roundabout are gently curved to direct drivers into the intersection and help them travel counterclockwise around the roundabout. The curved roads and one-way travel around the roundabout eliminate the possibility of T-bone and head-on collisions.

Public Works incorporates resident input when feasible. County projects are designed by professional engineers. We balance community input with other considerations to create the best possible final design. Considerations include legal requirements, environmental impacts, budget and safety. Input among residents, user groups and stakeholders often differs. While we do our best to incorporate resident input, we are not able incorporate all input or requests. Please contact the project manager (information at the bottom of the page) with questions or comments.

Thank you to the people who have attended the community listening sessions in late June and early July, and the public hearing in July. For more information on the community listening session and the public hearing, please visit https://clark.wa.gov/public-works/179th-st-access-management-and-circulation-plan.